April 4, 1968: The presidential helicopter left Sheep Meadow in Central Park after a sudden surprise visit to attend the ceremonies installing Archbishop Terence J. Cooke at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “Until last week,” said one girl in the crowd watching across the street from the cathedral, “I would have booed the President. But I’m confused about what’s happened in the last few days. I don’t know what it all means.” Presumably, she was referring to President Johnson’s recent decision not to run to retain office. Later that night, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.“

The Lively Morgue is a daily photo blog from the New York Times in which an original photo from the newspaper's archives is reposted along with tidbits of information gleamed from the historical article it accompanied. Along with a rescan of the original photograph, the backs of each photo are also scanned, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the editorial process of one of the world's best newspapers.

Today's posting features a shot from April 4th, 1968 showing the Presidential Helicopter leaving Sheep Meadow in Central Park after a surprise visit from President Johnson.

April 4, 1968: The presidential helicopter left Sheep Meadow in Central Park after a sudden surprise visit to attend the ceremonies installing Archbishop Terence J. Cooke at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “Until last week,” said one girl in the crowd watching across the street from the cathedral, “I would have booed the President. But I’m confused about what’s happened in the last few days. I don’t know what it all means.” Presumably, she was referring to President Johnson’s recent decision not to run to retain office. Later that night, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.“